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Macaron Tutorial

Friday, February 23, 2007

The flavor and taste of this cake is heaven, but I know I will probably go to hell because I am lusting after a cake.... It is facing me...sitting pretty...there....chocolaty, bittersweet, all glazed up, all dressed up...and it is too early for cake... But I think my throat could use a little love right now....and I need to take my meds with food....See what a simple flourless cake does to your head?!!!

After our croissant making weekend, our little baking group decided to go for a slightly less time consuming dessert and we settled on a flourless chocolate cake. There are as many ways to make a flourless chocolate cake as there are ways to bake them. I have some before where egg whites were beaten stiff then incorporated into the chocolate mixture, most of the time with very little butter and you end up with a very light almost meringue like cake. Not this one! My arteries kinda screamed a little when I looked at the ingredients: 3 sticks of butter, 6 whole eggs...oh! Wait! There is actually 8 ounces of Antioxidant Powerhouse dark bittersweet chocolate so I should not feel so bad!!! Even more if you count the glaze...why worry?!

Worried I became last night when I pulled these babies out. The original recipe calls for baking the cake in a 9 inch pan in a water bath. As I went to get the pan out of the cupboard, I figured I could try to make some demi sphere or pyramid cakes with the silicon pans I had, and pour the remaining batter in a 6 inch pan. The recipe is a breeze to make, seriously...I did not use the recommended chocolate but Lindt 70% bittersweet, and a dip of my fingertip in the prebaked batter gave me confirmation that this cake was going to be intense.I baked the cakes, let them set to cool and then I could not wait any longer and cut one...and then the worrying begin. Let me explain: the taste was awesome, but the texture did not appeal to me. I don't like puddings that much and that's what it was, 20 minutes after sitting on the counter top....Normal I thought, I am sure that a good 6 hours in the fridge is going to concentrate all of that.. Around midnight last night, I was still up reading and decided to go ahead and make the glaze. The little spheres looked so good...They seemed a little heavier in my hands, as if they were "fudging up" so my worrying was going away.

Since I can't talk, I can't teach my classes or train my clients, so I have plenty of time on my hands...something I am not used to...but took the opportunity to play around with the dessert and give justice to its name by dressing up a little. I added caramelized hazelnuts, hazelnut and cocoa nibs praline and banana chips.Thank you Mary for putting the recipe up. Head over to her blog to get the full lowdow and go check out what my othertalentedandwittypartners in crimehavecreated!

Here are the elements I added to plate the cakes and their respective recipes:

Caramelized Hazelnuts: (You will use the leftover caramel for the praline)

200 gr. sugar

12 hazelnuts, skin off

Fix a toothpick into each hazelnut. Cut a large block in styrofoam or use a sturdy piece of carboard. You will fix the hazelnut on it after they are dipped in the caramel.On medium high heat, melt 100 gr. sugar to a light amber color. Add the remaining 100 gr. sugar and stir and cook until deep amber. Stop the caramelization by setting your saucepan in bowl filled with ice and water. Wait 30 seconds for the caramel to thicken a bit and dip the hazelnuts. Fix each on the styrofoam and invert it on the edge of your countertop with a pan underneath to catch the sugar. I have got an easier way by inverting the styrofoam on the edge of the open dishwasher so that any piece of caramel is washed away next time I turn it on.

Hazelnut and Cocoa Nibs Praline:

Over medium heat, re-heat the caramel you have used for the hazelnuts until liquid again, Quickly stir 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts and 2 Tb. cocoa nibs. Pour on a parchment lined baking sheet. Allow to cool completely and break in pieces.

Banana Chips:

1 ripe bananagranulated sugar

Puree one banana in a food processor until completely smooth. Cut out stencils in plastic or heavy paper. Line a couple of baking sheet with silicone mats and pour some puree into each stencils. Remove your patterns, sprinkle a bit of granultated sugar over the shapes and bake at 200 degrees F. for 40 minutes.Peel them carefully off the mat and use a rolling pin if you ant to bend and shape them

That looks amazing and love the glaze idea to cover the almost pudding cake, as i tried the water bath thingie too (http://aapplemint.blogspot.com/) for valentines and was not very happy with the texture.Found it too intense and creamy rather sticky...kept thinking not cooked it enough.But my friends loved it so i stopped fussing about it.But i simply love the banana crisps n praline hazelnuts.Looks too good to eat.

Hard to believe that the recipe could be improved on...I mean it's intense chocolate isn't it?... but your lovely caramel coated hazelnuts, hazelnut AND cocoa nibs shards and even shaped bannana pieces...TOO beautiful and I'll bet the crunch is a wonderful counterpoint to the smooth cake.